By: Camille Pierce and Jandi Tyson

 "As we set the goal to educate students to become critical and independent thinkers who will be able to lead, to create, and to succeed, the passive learning/linear teaching model is no longer sufficient and we need a better framework to assist students in achieving this goal" (Eisenberg 23).

 "We must recognize and accept the fact that knowledge is changing so fast that no traditional curriculum can adequately supply students with fact-based learning needed for the challenges they will face" (Murray 42).​

 "The Big6 provides a strategy for developing the foundation of higher order thinking skills and the language skills of reasoning and critical thinking and then applying the understanding of the process and the skills to any inquiry process“ (Hughes 28).  “Our mission is to help all people succeed by becoming better information problem- solvers” (Eisenberg and Berkowitz, 133).

1. Task Definition 2. Information Seeking and Strategies 3. Location and Access 4. Use of Information 5. Synthesis 6. Evaluation

 “Successful information problem-solving requires successfully completing each of these stages; however, this does not necessarily follow in a step-by-step fashion” (Eisenberg and Berkowitz, 31).  “An effective way to implement the Big6 is to seek out opportunities within existing or planned classroom units and lessons that are directly related to the Big6 skills” (Nuts and Bolts, 2007). How are the steps implemented?

 “Palinscar's definition of metacognition as the ability to plan, implement, and evaluate strategic approaches to learning and problem solving is supported by the six steps of Big6. Students who engage in task definition and information-seeking strategies are formulating a plan in order to complete an assignment or solve a problem. Engaging in location and access, use of information, and synthesis is the implementation of that plan. Evaluating the process and product resulting from the synthesis activity is the final step" (ALA 2006).

 “Differentiated instruction and the Big6 seem to be made for each other. The Big6 process allows for seamless differentiation…” (Jansen 32).  “The initial teaching of the strategy involves opportunities to personalize and make the learning relevant” (Hughes 28).

 "Teachers can integrate lessons about the Big6 into subject area content and assignments"(Eisenberg 21).  "Instructors foster desirable dispositions by challenging students to consider not only what they are learning, but also how they are learning and why they value the learning" (AASL 40).

 "...it offers a strongly supported strategy to help you develop students who can think through the research or inquiry process to meet the curriculum expectations" (Hughes, 28).  "If you look at the direct connection to Bloom's Taxonomy, the six steps follow that well known description of thinking skills from lower order to higher order thinking skills" (Hughes, 28).

 "If educators promote and use an information problem-solving process like the Big6 Skills, they can help students learn to locate, select, evaluate, analyze, and synthesize information from a variety of sources in order to make intelligent decisions" (Murray 42).  “These are the higher-level thinking skills people can use in any content area, at any level, and can continue to use throughout their lives, no matter what new technology or information systems they encounter" (Murray 42).

 “Unlike other information problem solving strategies, the Big6 is both diagnostic and prescriptive. This is the key difference, an empowering difference, to the Big6 approach. We look at the process, as well as student performance, all along the way” (Eisenberg and Berkowitz, 135). What makes Big6 different?

 Do we want to develop and become life-long learners?  Do we want to follow best practices to increase academic achievement?  Do we want to ensure that students have the necessary skills to be successful in the 21 st century in school and beyond?

THE BIG6 IS FOR US!!!

 "AT&T Knowledge Network Explorer : Nuts and Bolts of Big6." Nuts and Bolts of the Big6. 27 Nov Web. 07 Oct  "Big Six Information Skills," American Library Association, September 27, slmrb/slmrcontents/volume62003/bigsixinformation.cfm (Accessed October 9, 2009) slmrb/slmrcontents/volume62003/bigsixinformation.cfm  Eisenberg, Michael B. "Implementing Information Skills: Lessons Learned From the Big6 Approach to Information Problem- Solving." School Libraries in Canada 22.4 (2003): 20. Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts with Full Text. EBSCO. Web. 17 Oct  Eisenberg, Michael B., and Robert E. Berkowitz. The Definitive Big6 Workshop Handbook. 3rd ed. Worthington, Ohio: Linworth, Print.

 Hughes, Sandra "The Big6 as a Strategy for Student Research." School Libraries in Canada 22.4 (2003): 28. Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts with Full Text. EBSCO. Web. 13 Oct  Jansen, Barbara A. "Differentiating Instruction in the Primary Grades with the Big6." Library Media Connection 27.4 (2009): Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts with Full Text. EBSCO. Web. 13 Oct  Murray, Janet. “Looking at ICT Literacy Standards: Through the Big6 Lens.” Library Media Connection 26.7 (2008):  Standards for the 21st-Century Learner in Action. Chicago: American Association for School Librarians, 2009.